5 Favorite Transfer Portal Takeoff Candidates
Sometimes a new home can propel a player to becoming an NBA prospect. A look at a handful who have potential to explode in their new environment
By and large, the NBA Draft has not overlapped a ton with the NCAA’s transfer portal. There are many reasons for it: the NBA’s desire to operate off one-and-done prospects seems to be the main culprit. But with the portal more widely accepted now than ever, writing off players who transfer schools or look for greener pastures in college would be a bad idea.
This year, we saw Brandin Podziemski explode as a sophomore after leaving Illinois for Santa Clara, heading to a program that was well-suited for his game and helped propel him to first-round status. Olivier-Maxence Prosper left Clemson for a system at Marquette which helped turn him into one of the most predictable prospects in the draft class, playing an apples-to-apples role for what he’ll do in the NBA. The same thing happened a year ago: Tari Eason moved from Cincinnati to LSU and exploded into a first-rounder. Walker Kessler did the same moving from North Carolina to Auburn.
Even some upperclassmen and second-round picks were once byproducts of different levels of competition. Jalen Pickett started at Siena before going to Penn State. Jordan Miller transferred from George Mason to Miami (FL). The transfer portal is so common nowadays that some of the obvious tropes that were used against those who had transferred (assuming they are not coachable/ loyal) cannot be an automatic attachment to any situation.
So let’s look at some of the players who are headed to new situations this upcoming college season who have caught my eye as legitimate pro prospects but might just need rejuvenation and a new system to propel themselves back into the draft picture. Within each section, I will discuss what I like about the prospect and how I can see their new collegiate home really benefitting them from an NBA perspective.
Kel’el Ware - P, Indiana
Perhaps no transfer portal addition has a higher ceiling to reach than new Indiana big man Kel’el Ware. After choosing Oregon out of high school, Ware was buried behind more polished, older bigs in the rotation and never found a way to get a foothold on consistent minutes. Part of that is assuredly self-inflicted; there have been questions about Ware’s motor and consistency dating back to high school.
Playing for Mike Woodson could change that quickly. The Hoosiers needed a big man, meaning Ware should be the beneficiary of minutes following the departure of Trayce Jackson-Davis. Ware has an inside-outside game, one that fits well with the personnel on this Hoosiers roster and that Woody can tap into his NBA experience to best utilize. Pick-and-pop actions, some post-up play, and an up-tempo attack in Bloomington would benefit all parties involved.
Where I was actually most impressed with Ware upon a re-watch of several Oregon games and his possessions was on the defensive end. Ware has a natural feel and understanding for angles in Drop coverage, he plays the cat-and-mouse game well, uses his size and swatting prowess to his advantage, and funnels drivers to the exact spot he can guard them. There are a ton of areas for Ware to clean up, but the initial takeaways on the things he’ll need to do most frequently are quite positive.
The role that Jackson-Davis played last year is one that Ware can have a ton of success inside. He’s a very good shot blocker near the rim who can guard in Drop coverage. He’s an underrated passer who can thrive with kickouts from the post, in the short roll, or in actions atop the key. Unlike Jackson-Davis, Ware will be willing to let that thing fly from deep — and the Hoosiers will need his floor spacing!
Ware’s upside as a seven-footer who can really stretch the floor, block shots, and athletically get up and down has always been apparent. It’s why he was seen as a five-star recruit out of high school and a potential one-and-done coming into college. He needs to fix a few areas of consistency, conditioning, and shot selection. If he can perform for this Indiana team, the first round may not be out of the question for Ware to get into as a sophomore. His skill set as a stretch big is just too tantalizing to ever write off.